John Smith (Aphid)

[Andrewwhyte 1]

After a long fight with cancer John left us today.
Loud, opinionated, direct, John was one of the people who added colour to the dropzone. He will be missed.

[wmw999 2,385]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I loved reading his thoughts on things.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[piisfish 137]

Oh no. He was a great contributor to the forums, and I feel I was lucky to have met him, had a great evening.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[lippy 899]

Such a nice guy (as long as you didn't piss him off!), an amazing camera flyer and a pretty certifiable badass.

So glad to have had the opportunity to have shared a few drinks with this guy and to have had the pleasure of knowing him, Blue Skies John!

I got nuthin

[grimmie 181]

Sigh...one of my favorite people on the planet.

I spoke with him nearly every day.

He did So much for So many.

You always knew where you stood with him.

[quack 0]

Echoing what Rich said, another one of the great ones gone. I will miss our conversations dearly.

But you have to understand, mental illness is like cholesterol. There is the good kind and the bad. Without the good kind- less flavor to life. - Serge A. Storms

[pchapman 279]

Didn't expect that. He was out wasting time on dropzone.com just a couple weeks back!

[pbwing 0]

Sad news about John. My first stop after hearing the news was the local watering hole for a drink of some of his favourite scotch...

Rest In Peace John.

[MajorDad 0]

I first met John over 20 years ago and our paths crossed many times over the years.

He considered Eden North and SD Arizona home, even though he was from Vernon, British Columbia.

He was well known on the national and international stage as a videographer for the Canadian Plaid Jackets (National CF Team) and the Tropical Fish (National FS Team).

By the end of his skydiving career he had just under 5000 jumps and 50 hours of FF time.

He will be missed by many as one of the true characters of the sport.

BSBD,

Major Dad
CSPA D-579

[pchapman 279]

Did he ever get back to the USA in recent years?

He had a little issue at the US border some years back, heading down in his camper for the winter, carrying a pile of extra cash for living down there for a few months or something, legal money but not declared, fell out of favour with the border guys. Something like that. (I think he even asked for advice on DZ.)

[slotperfect 7]

I greatly valued his opinions, even when we disagreed. I can only say that about a very few people. He was a shining example of how the value of this online community transcends international "boundaries." Rest easy, Good Sir.

Arrive Safely

John

[gowlerk 2,167]

He ended up with a standard 5 year time out. After that time he was good again.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[JerryBaumchen 1,342]

Hi Andrew,

Re: John Smith (Aphid)

One of my last messages to him said that I hope we will get the chance to meet one day.

C'est la vie.

Out of nothing but curiosity; how old was John?

Jerry Baumchen

[pbwing 0]

I believe he was 61

[grimmie 181]

JerryBaumchen

Hi Andrew,

Re: John Smith (Aphid)

One of my last messages to him said that I hope we will get the chance to meet one day.

C'est la vie.

Out of nothing but curiosity; how old was John?

Jerry Baumchen

You two would have hit it off tremendously.

[Amazon 7]

Andrewwhyte

After a long fight with cancer John left us today.
Loud, opinionated, direct, John was one of the people who added colour to the dropzone. He will be missed.

Damn....

RIP John..

[justsomeguy 0]

Ah, the Oban.
I remember him riding his motorcycle into the bar at the Bent Prop.

Thanks John.